Let Them Be Little
by KayValo87
Summary: PREQUEL TO "NUNQUAM INDULGEO, NUNQUAM ALIENO" What happened three years ago ... ** Lots of fluff ** A splash of humor ** A touch of drama ** Massive cuteness **
1. Hope

_**Happy Mother's Day!**_

Because I don't have any good moms in my stories (living moms anyway), I started thinking about what the moms amung my readers would like to read. The best answer I could come up with was: Dean as a daddy. :)

**DISCLAIMER:** If you know it, I don't own it.

In "Nunquam Indulgeo, Nunquam Alieno" Dean references that for "three wonderful days he was a dad".

Here is what happened ...

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Hope<strong>

Dean pulled up to the curb and climbed out of the Impala. Heading into the park, he picked one of the benches near the playground. The children were playing and laughing, not a care in the world, just as it should be. There wasn't much left in his life that made it worth it, but coming to the park, seeing the lives that might be saved because of what he did, kept him going. However, seeing the dad's playing with their kids chilled the warm summer day. He hadn't hunted with his dad in weeks, hadn't checked on Sam in over a month, and it had been almost two years seen he had seen Mikayla. It tore him up to be separated from his family so much, but that was the way things were and he would just have to deal with it like he always did. Maybe watching the people who had what he didn't wasn't the best way to deal, but Winchester's never seemed to like the easy way.

"Bradley." A mother scolded. "You do not talk about people like that."

Then again, parenthood didn't look that easy half the time either.

"But Mommy," the little boy whined, "she IS a witch."

Dean looked over at the mother and son, suddenly a lot more interested in what the kid had to say. It was probably nothing, but in his experience children noticed far more then adults.

"Bradley … it is not nice to call people witches, especially little girls."

"But she is a witch, just like Chelsea."

"Your sister is not a witch." His mother had gone from forced calm to exasperated. "She is just … dark."

"But she had star a necklace," Bradley argued, "just like Chelsea."

Star necklace? Maybe a pentagram, but not exactly the sign of a real witch.

"And she was doing spells." The boy added.

Now THAT sounded more like a witch, or at the very least a wanna be.

"Bradley, I don't want to hear another word. Now go play now or we are going straight home."

Clearly wanting to argue more, but not enough to risk leaving early, Bradley huffed and headed for the swings. Casually, Dean stood and headed that way.

"Stay where I can see you, Billy." He called out, hoping that people would just think he was another dad.

Leaning against the swing-set post, Dean glanced down at Bradley. The kid looked to be about five … about Mikayla's age … He shook his head, forcing himself to focus. He couldn't keep thinking of her every time he saw a kid. It was way to distracting … way too painful. Taking a deep breath, he tried to find the best way to get the information he needed.

"I hear your sister is a witch."

Smooth Dean, real smooth. However, it did seem to have the desired effect.

"She is!" Bradley claimed. "Just like the little girl."

"Little girl?"

"The one in the sandbox. Mommy doesn't believe me."

"Well, then lets just not tell Mommy, okay?"

Bradley nodded and Dean headed off to find the sandbox. This was stupid. Here he was, a twenty-five year old hunter looking for a sandbox because a kid had a star necklace and was probably making grass soup. Chances were pretty high that it was nothing, but it never hurt to check. He found the sandbox easy enough, the thing was huge, and it didn't take long to figure out which kid was the so called witch. In the far corner, under a shade tree, a small girl sat alone. Despite the warm day, she was wearing black shirt and blue jeans. He long brown hair fell down, hiding her face from veiw, as she traced shapes in the sand. Stepping closer, Dean's eyes grew wide. Those weren't shapes, they were wards. The kid was a hunter!

"Wow, they're starting young now." He muttered to himself.

But the kid must have had good hearing, because he head whipped up and turned towards him. He froze, barely remembering how to breath. Those eyes, those beautiful green eyes on that beautiful freckled face that he only saw in his dreams. It was her.

"Daddy?" She whispered, climbing to her feet. "Is that you?"

He couldn't stop the smile that spread over his face at that sound of her voice, a voice he never thought he would hear again.

"Hey Kit-kat." He somehow managed to say. "Ya miss me?"

"Daddy!"

She nearly squealed with joy and rushed into his waiting arms. He held her close, breathing in the scent of strawberry shampoo and gun-oil. It was a strange mix, but so completely her.

"Don't go away again, Daddy." She mumbled into his shoulder. "Please don't go away. I want you to stay. Please stay, Daddy."

Tears filled his eyes as he listened to his baby girls pleas. He wanted so much to do what she asked, never wanting to let her out of his sight again, but he knew what would happen if he tried. He knew what that crazy b&^%$ of a mom would do if she lost her daughter to him … but then again … she wouldn't necessarily know it was him? Reluctantly, he leaned back, cupping her tiny face in his hands.

"Mikayla, where is your mom?"

"Mommy is at the records place."

"She just left you here alone? How long has she been gone?"

"A while, but it's okay." Mikayla shrugged. "She said she would come back before it got dark, gave me a knife and some money for a hotdog if I get hungry."

Dean clenched his jaw and pulled his little girl back into a hug. He wasn't shocked, Tracy was not known for her responsibility. He was, however, furious. How dare she leave their daughter alone in a freaking park! The things that could have happened raced through his head, each one worse then the last. He felt a small hand reach up and stroke the back of his head.

"It's okay, Daddy. I'm okay."

"It is so not okay." He half growled, standing up with Mikayla still in his arms.

He headed back to the car, not caring that he was violating his deal with Tracy. In fact, he didn't give a crap about her demands or threats. Sam was in college now, out of his life and out of danger. She had no more power and he was going to do what he should have done a long time ago.

"Where are we going?" Mikayla asked as he buckled her into the front seat of the Impala.

"We're going on an adventure." He smiled. "Watch your fingers."

He shut the door and circled the car. Glancing around, he saw no sign of Tracy, but didn't relax until the two of them were on their way out of town.

"What about Mommy?" Mikayla asked as she watched the trees fly past.

"She had her turn." And wasted it, he thought bitterly. "Now it's daddy time."

"I like Daddy time." She said with a huge grin.

Dean smiled back and turned on some music. Suddenly life didn't seem all that lonely anymore and for the first time in a long time he felt whole. This could really work. He could finally take his proper place as Mikayla's daddy, and that was worth more then anything else the world could offer.

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><p>What do you think of chapter one? (Please let me know, this is my first real "fluff piece" and I'm not sure how much people will like it.)<p>

I'm almost done with the next part and will post it in the morning.


	2. Apprehension

As promised, here is chapter two.

BTW, the title comes from the song by Billy Dean. (If you have not heard it, I highly recommend it.)

Enjoy ...

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Apprehension <strong>

It was long after dark that Dean risked stopping. By now Tracy and her army of cousins would be on the hunt for Mikayla. Luckily, they were mostly mediocre hunters at best. Chances are, they didn't even know he was the one who took her, but then again, they are lucky he was. If anything had happened to his baby girl on their watch, Dean would have wiped out the whole Holden clan. But she seemed okay, happy and healthy at least, that's all that mattered. But right now his only concern was getting something for them to eat, so he pulled into the first diner that was more then a hundred miles from where he left Tracy.

"You hungry, Kit-kat?"

"Uh-huh." she nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright." He grinned, leading the way inside.

The roadside restaurant was like many he had been in with his family. Vintage booths, cheap tables, and greasy food. Gotta love life as a hunter. He chose a table near the kitchen, knowing there had to be a back door they could slip out of in case of trouble. After all, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't someone after you. Taking into fact that both his family and Tracy's were hunters, there was probably dozens.

"Get whatever you want." Dean said, looking over the menu.

"Can I have apple pie?"

"Sure," Dean chuckled, "would you like a burger for dessert?"

"Yes please."

Wow, Dean shook his head, she was definitely his kid. That was confirmed once again when her drink of choice turned out to be a root-beer float.

"So," he started after they got their drinks, "you're five now?"

Not that he had to ask. He knew very well when her birthday was, but he had to start the conversation somehow. She didn't seem to mind the lame topic.

"Yup." Mikayla nodded, licking ice cream off her spoon. "I got a new coat, a book, and a switchblade."

"No toys?"

"Well …" she smiled sadly, "it's okay. I don't really need toys. I mean, I play with the ones in clinics and stuff … but toys don't help on the hunt … switchblades do."

She didn't even HAVE toys? Well, that was the first thing on his list to fix. D^*& it, when he told Tracy to take care of her he should have know she wouldn't know what all that entailed. Stupid b%#$&.

"Did you have toys when you were little?"

"You bet I did." Dean replied. "Yeah, Sammy and I played with toy soldiers, and cars-"

"Who's Sammy?"

"Sammy is my brother."

"I have an uncle?" She perked up. "Is he still alive.'

"He better be."

She gave him a blank stare and it took Dean a minute to remember that the entire Holden family were hunters, at any given minute they didn't know if half of them were alive or dead. Why did he leave his baby to be raised by these gun totting hicks? At least she acted more Winchester then Holden, thank God for small miracles.

"Sam is in college, so I haven't seen him in a while." Dean explained.

He focused on taking a drink of his beer and shoving away the empty pit that his brother had left behind. Dean was glad that Sam was happy, but that didn't stop him from wishing he had never left.

"What's he like?"

"Sam? Um … well, he's kinda a geek. Loves books and computers, never gets out of the library, and he has no taste in music."

"So he's more of a researcher then a hunter?"

"What? No." Dean shook his head. "Sam is an awesome hunter, he just … he wanted to take a break for a while."

"Is he coming back?"

"God, I hope so."

He was spared anymore talk about estranged family when the waitress appeared with their food. After pouting at the initial lack of pie, Dean asked his daughter to fill him in on everything he missed.

"I'm learning Latin." she announced, struggling to get ketchup out of the bottle.

Dean reached over and used his knife to get the ketchup onto her burger before doing the same to his own.

"How about something that is not about hunting, huh?"

When he glanced up he got a feeling he had said something wrong. Mikayla was staring at him, eyes wide, and he was sure he could see tears starting to form. Crap. What was he supposed to do with this?

"Why?" She asked, her lip quivering slightly. "Are they not good enough? Because I can do better. I'm still learning and-"

"Hey, calm down. It's okay." Dean said gently. "Now, what are you talking about?"

"My hunting skills. They aren't good enough."

"What? No, they're fine."

"Then why don't you like them?"

Dean rubbed his hand across his face. This must be why his dad didn't even start training him until he was seven. Five is WAY to young to have to worry about these kinds of things. But how does he convince her of that?

"It's not about your skills, Kit-kat." He started slowly. "It's just that there is more to life then hunting."

"Like boys?"

Startled by the question, Dean REALLY hoped that part of his and Tracy's personalities was not manifested in his little girl.

"You like boys?"

"Ew, no!" She made a face. "But that's what Mommy has in her life besides hunting."

Oh, thank god! He still had a few years before that hit. Crap. Based on her lineage, when that hit it was going to hit hard. He was going to have to hide her away. Not forever though, just from age ten to about thirty. That should work, right?

"Daddy, are you okay?"

"What?"

"You looked kinda scared."

"No," Dean pretended he was fascinated with his food, "I'm fine."

D^&%, this fatherhood thing was going to be harder then he thought. His baby girl isn't even in kindergarten yet and he is already worrying about the prom. Oh crap, prom night! There is only one thing guys want on prom night and NO ONE was going to get it with HIS daughter.

"Daddy," Mikayla looked at him, worry shining in her eyes, "what's wrong?"

Great, now he was scaring her. He was going to have to get his mind off this and fast. Looking around for something to distract them both, he caught sight of a grab machine in the corner.

"Hey, look at that." He said, pointing toward the arcade game. "How would you like a toy to play with in the car?"

"Yeah." She smiled, her eye lighting up.

Smiling, Dean headed over to the machine, Mikayla at his heels. He dug some change out of his pocket and looked for the easiest thing to get. A purple cat was sitting on top of the pile. That would work. After inserting his money, Dean manuvered the claw, but missed the cat by an inch.

"It's okay, Daddy." Mikayla patted his arm. "You tried."

"Hey, I'm not out of money yet."

He put in more money and got the claw in exactly the right spot.

"Yes." He muttered, smiling at his triumph.

But the machine had other plans and lost it's grip on the purple cat.

"No!"

The game was freaking rigged! It took your money while taunting you with the offer of toys. Well, no way it was not going to get the best of Dean Winchester.

"Don't get mad," Mikayla said softly, "I really don't need the kitty."

"I can get it."

Just as soon as he fixed this d^%* machine. Looking over to see if their waitress was coming back, Dean flipped out his pocket knife and loosened the screws on the front of the control panel. A quick look inside made him wonder how anyone could win at this game, the hydraulics where too weak. After a slight adjustment, he replaced the panel and put in some more money.

"Do you want anything besides the kitty?" He asked as he got the crane in position.

Since it now had the strength to pick up a brick, he was going to get his money's worth. Five dollars later, they finished their food and headed out. Father, daughter, a purple cat, two teddy bears, a sparkly blue fish, a spotted dog, and a plush doll. Take that grab machine!

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><p>So, how are you likeing Dean as a daddy?<p>

Let me know and I'll get the next part up tonight. :)


	3. Protection

Sorry I am late on this, but my stupid homework had to get done first. :P

Anyway, enjoy ...

**WARNING:** MASSIVE CUTENESS AHEAD! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Protection<strong>

Dean pulled into the first hotel he came to, or at least the first one that didn't charge by the hour and had been cleaned in the last month. He may be willing to stay in a cockroach infested rat hole, but he wasn't going to put his baby girl in one.

"Wait here." He ordered, climbing out of the car.

"Okay Daddy." Mikayla answered, stroking her dolls hair.

Man, he loved it when she called him that, he thought with a smile and headed into the office. The board teenager at the front desk looked up from his magazine for a second before letting out a small sigh.

"Single or double?" He asked, turning his gaze back to his reading materiel.

"Double." Dean answered, tossing a car on the counter.

The kid didn't even look at the name before swiping it and handing over a key.

"Room 18." He muttered, picking up the magazine.

Grabbing the key off the counter, Dean went back to the car and drove down until he was parked outside of room 18. He was a little apprehensive of the cleanliness of the room, but was happily surprised that the maids had a much better attention to detail then the clerk. He dropped his duffel bags on the bed closed to the door while Mikayla unloaded an armful of stuffed animals onto the other. Crap. He had almost forgot that she didn't have any other clothes or even a toothbrush. Looks like they were going to have to go shopping, but that would have to wait until morning. Based on the yawn she was trying to hide, she wouldn't make it to the bathroom, much less a store.

"Here." He unzipped his clothes bag and pulled out a plain blue t-shirt. "You can sleep in this."

"Thanks Daddy." She smiled sleepily.

She disappeared into the bathroom and Dean set to work fortifying the room. Once the salt lines were down and the weapons were hidden, he started on a few protection symbols when Mikayla came back into the main room. His t-shirt looked like a dress on her small body with the sleeves falling to her wrists and the hem going well past her knees. It was one of the cutest thing he had ever seen, right up there with the time Sam put his applesauce bowl on his head.

"Ready for bed?" He asked, turning to put the finishing touches on a ward.

"Almost." She yawned, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Ghouls are killed with head shots. Skin-walkers are killed with silver. A zombie-"

"What are you doing?" Dean asked, giving his daughter a puzzled look.

"Reciting how to kill monsters."

"Yeah, I can see that. But why?"

"Mommy says I have to remember them, so she gives me a list to memorize every week." She explained, stifling a yawn. "Where was I? Oh yeah, zombies-"

"Hold on a second." Dean knelt down in front of her. "You don't have to memorize this stuff. That's what research is for. Right now, the only think you have to do is go to sleep."

He scooped her up in one arm an turned down the covers with the other. Laying her down, Dean gave Mikayla a tight hug before pulling the blankets up to her chin. It may be summer, but nights in the area still got pretty cold.

"Now, do you want a story or something?"

"Can you sing 'When I'm Gone'?"

Dean gave her a strange look, trying to figure out where that came from. Did she think Tracy was coming to get her? Because if that b&%$^ even tried there was going to be bloodshed.

"You're not going anywhere."

"No Daddy," she rolled her eyes. "It's a song CALLED 'When I'm Gone'. Mommy says it's a song for hunters like her and me, but I like it 'cause it makes me think of you."

"Sorry, Kit-kat, but I don't know that one. How about you sing it?"

Mikayla nodded, snuggling against the pillow. Once she was settled, she smiled up and him and started to sing.

"_There's another world inside of me  
>That you may never see<br>There're secrets in this life  
>That I can't hide<br>Somewhere in this darkness  
>There's a light that I can't find<br>Maybe it's too far away ...  
>Or maybe I'm just blind ...<em>

_Or maybe I'm just blind ..._

_So hold me when I'm here_  
><em>Right me when I'm wrong<em>  
><em>Hold me when I'm scared<em>  
><em>And love me when I'm gone<em>  
><em>Everything I am<em>  
><em>And everything in me<em>  
><em>Wants to be the one<em>  
><em>You wanted me to be<em>  
><em>I'll never let you down<em>  
><em>Even if I could<em>  
><em>I'd give up everything<em>  
><em>If only for your good<em>  
><em>So hold me when I'm here<em>  
><em>Right me when I'm wrong<em>  
><em>You can hold me when I'm scared<em>  
><em>You won't always be there<em>  
><em>So love me when I'm gone<em>

_Love me when I'm gone ... "_

Her voice faded as she drifted off to sleep. Dean stroked her hair and gently kissed her forehead.

"No worries there, kiddo." he whispered. "Because no matter where we are, I'll always love you."

Forcing back the tears that were threatening to fall, Dean was so glad no one was their to see him indulging in a chick flick moment. Then again, Mikayla was kinda a chick, so the moment was fully justified. Once he was able to get a handle on that, he changed and climbed into his own bed for some much needed rest.

"Daddy?"

Pulled from sleep by the soft noise, Dean peered across the dark room to the other bed. Mikayla was tossing and turning, her face scrunched up in sleep.

"Daddy!" She said again, barely above a whisper.

He recognized the sighs of a nightmare immediately and instinct took over. A second later, he was laying on the other bed with his baby girl in his arms.

"It's okay." He soothed. "I'm right here. You're okay."

"Daddy." She sighed, curling against his side and burying her face in his shirt.

He couldn't help but smile as she settled back down. But seeing as how she was now laying on his arm, it didn't look like he would be getting back to his bed anytime soon. Screw it, he thought to himself, using one arm to pull the blankets over himself, her bed was more comfortable anyway.

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><p>Okay, if you didn't think that was a sweet chapter, either I am losing my touch as an author or you are not human.<p>

Let me know and I'll get the next part up tomorrow. (I only have one morning class and no other plans. :) )

BTW, to any of you that were wondering, I am going to finish Mikayla's other story as soon as I can. However, since the events in this story are referenced in that one, I may finish this one first. not sure yet.


	4. Patience

Okay, so I don't have a new story for Fathers Day, so I thought I would update this one. (It is about Dean being a "Daddy" after all. :) )

Also, this chapter was supposed to have more in it, which is why it took so long to post, but since it was already 150% of the usual chapter length, I figured I'd just post what I had and hope for the best.

Enjoy ...**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Patience<strong>

It was not the alarm clock that woke Dean up, or the sun streaming through the windows. Even though both helped, what really got the hunter out of bed was the thump of his daughter hitting the floor.

"Mikayla?" Dean sat up. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She panted. "Just exercising."

What? He leaned over the edge of the bed and, sure enough, his little girl was doing push ups. Nice form too, but according to the clock, WAY too early. Reaching down, he snagged the back of her makeshift nightgown and hauled her back into bed.

"Daddy!" She protested, trying to twist free. "I gotta finish."

"No you don't." Dean mumbled, pulling her closer. "Go back to sleep."

"But I'm hungry!"

"What does that have to do with-"

Suddenly it was all to clear. That B&%$#! Her father was tough on her so now she makes their daughter work out before she can eat? He was going to kill her! First things first, it looks as if he was going to have to break a few habits.

"Kit-kat," he stared seriously, "we are on an adventure. On an adventure, you sleep until noon and then eat chocolate chip pancakes. Nowhere in an adventure does it include push ups at six in the morning. Go back to sleep."

"But Daddy-"

"Okay." He sat up. "Since we are awake now, let's just skip sleeping until noon and go straight to the chocolate chip pancakes."

"But Daddy-"

"No buts." Dean interrupted. "We are getting chocolate chip pancakes."

"But-"

"Chocolate chip pancakes."

"But Mommy-"

"Chocolate chip pancakes."

"Yes Daddy." She sighed.

Bundling up her clothes from the night before, she headed for the bathroom. Dean made a mental note to find a store to get her some more stuff, and reached for his duffel.

"Daddy?" Mikayla asked, coming back into the main room.

"Yeah?"

"Um … is it really okay to skip exercising for a day?"

Once again, Dean wanted to punch Tracy in the face. However, for the sake of his little girl, he just smiled.

"Only if it is replaced with something better."

"Like chocolate chip pancakes?"

"Now you got it." He laughed and pulled his daughter into a hug.

It took a surprisingly long time to find an open diner, but the one they did find happened to have sugar cubes instead of sugar packets. This worked out great, since Dean was able to teach Mikayla how to turn a spoon into a catapult and send the cups flying into a coffee cup. Of course the waitress got annoyed at the mess they were making, but the look on his baby girl's face when she made her first ringer made it all worth while. It is truly a proud day when your child beats you at sugar cube free throws. After breakfast, they headed off to a superstore where Dean learned that, as much as his little girl liked flowers, she liked flaming skulls more. So, he found himself looking through the graphic tees in the boys section, trying to decide if he should get her Batman or Godzilla. Maybe both?

"It's hard not to spoil them at this age, isn't it?"

Dean looked up to see an attractive blond on the other side of the table looking through striped shirts. He flashed her one of his classic smiles, tossing both shirts in his cart along with the jeans and kid size duffel bag.

"Yeah," he agreed, "all they have to do is look at you and you can't say no."

"I know what you mean." The woman laughed. "My Devin, has had that down since he was two. Now he's starting kindergarten. They grow up so fast, don't they?"

"Tell me about it."

"How old is your son?"

"She's five."

"She?"

Before he could answer, the object of their conversation run up to him with a big grin on her face and a shirt clutched in each hand.

"Daddy!" She nearly squealed. "Look at this one. It's got guns AND roses on it!"

He smiled, looking at the band t-shirt she had brought to him. He was going to have to add good music to the list of things to teach her. At least she seemed to have inherited his good taste, even if she didn't know it.

"This is awesome." He tossed it in the cart with the others. "What about that one?"

"This one they got wrong. Look."

She held up a blue, tie-dye, AC/DC shirt. Dean looked over it, but didn't see any flaws.

"Looks fine to me."

"Daddy," she rolled her eyes, "EVERYONE knows its supposed to go A-B-C-D, but I still like the lightning bolt."

Wow, he REALLY needed to teach her about good music.

"No," he chuckled, "it's a band, not the alphabet … and they rock."

"Oh." She looked down at the shirt and back up again. "What other bands rock?"

After adding Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath shirts to the cart, as well as a few other necessities, the pair headed back to the Impala. They had already checked out of their hotel and were once again headed away from Tracy, when Mikayla tugged his sleeve.

"Look Daddy," she said, pointing out the window, "it's a pool hall. Mommy goes there sometimes with her Joes."

"Joes?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Guys she hunts with or meets in bars." Mikayla shrugged. "They aren't around enough to remember all their names."

"I think the term is Johns." Dean muttered.

Mikayla looked at him with wide eyes and shook her head.

"Oh no, Daddy, they aren't Johns."

"Why not?"

"Your daddy is John and he's better then them." She stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "They're Joes."

Can't argue with that, Dean thought to himself. He pulled into the parking lot for the pool hall, hoping that it was one that allowed minors during the day. Looks like luck was on their side for once.

"You hungry, Kit-kat?"

"I am if they have chili fries."

Man, he loved this kid. He led the way inside and choose a spot near the pool tables where he could check out the competition while they ate. Only two of the four tables were taken, and none of the players were exactly sharks. Easy pickings. Then again, they were also pretty big. Normally that wouldn't stop him, but normally he didn't have a five year old girl to worry about. There was no way he was going to cause any kind of trouble with his baby around.

"Daddy?" She asked around a mouthful of fries.

"Yeah?" He responded, wiping the chili from around her mouth.

"Um … can you teach me how to play pool?"

"Sure squirt, just finish your fries first."

Grinning from ear to ear, the little girl wolfed down her food and looked at him expectantly.

"Done."

"I can see that." Dean chuckled, trying for find a clean spot on the napkin to clean off her fingers.

Once he was satisfied that she wasn't going to get chili all over the cue, he led the way to one of the tables.

"Alright," he started, pulling a cue off the rack, "what do you know about pool?"

"Most Joes suck at it."

Dean wasn't the only one chuckling at that point. He wrapped one arm around her, pulling Mikayla up to his hip, and used the cue as a pointer.

"Okay, lets start with the basics. This is the cue ball, those are the pockets, these are the balls, and that is the eight ball. Each player gets one type of ball, stripes or solids. The goal is to use the cue ball to knock your balls into the pockets and then knock the eight ball in."

"What if you knock the eight ball in before the rest of your balls?"

"You lose."

"Oh. Do you ever do that?"

"Not in a very long time. So do you want to get started."

"Yeah!"

"Alright."

He shifted her around until she was pressed against his chest, facing the table, and handed her the cue.

"Now hold the cue-"

"You mean the white ball?"

"No, that's the cue ball. The cue is the stick."

"So, is the white ball the one you hit with the stick?"

"Yup, now hold it like this …"

Using his free hand, he managed to get her to hold the cue correctly.

"Now, I want you to hit the white ball. Don't worry about any of the other ones, just tap it …"

The lesson didn't last long, but by the time they were done she had managed to scratch twice, hit him with the cue once, and sunk only one ball. It was the most fun he had ever had at a pool table. Also, the scene had not gone unnoticed. A few of the other players had given their advice to the young student, while other patrons, particularly a nearby table of beautiful woman, had enjoyed the the show.

"That is so cute." A hot red head from the table commented, flashing Dean a smile.

"Nice to see a guy spending time with his kid." Her blond companion agreed.

"Yup." Mikayla beamed. "My Daddy knows how to show a girl a good time."

The women laughed, giving Dean appreciative looks. He returned their smiles, but only out of courtesy. At the moment only one girl caught his, and she came up to his knee.

"Your mom's a lucky girl." The second blond added.

"Oh, Mommy isn't with Daddy anymore." Mikayla shook her head. "He's single."

Dean could feel the heart of embarrassment coming over him and quickly ushered the little girl back to their table. He flagged down a waitress on the way, ordering some nachos as an excuse for their retreat. Once seated she looked at him with a look of pure confusion.

"Didn't you think those women were pretty?"

"Sure I did." He shrugged, taking a gulp or two of his beer.

"But don't you want a hooked up?"

Now he was choking on his beer. Where did she- How did she- What the h&^$? Once he got his breathing under control, he turned to his baby girl.

"What do you know about that? Or better yet, WHY do you know about that?"

He was going to kill her mother.

"What's wrong Daddy?" She look like she was on the verge of tears. "Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad … well … not at you." He shook his head, trying to figure out how to phrase his next question. "What did your mom tell you about …"

"Hooking up?"

"Yeah that."

"She told me what they are and what people do at them."

He was REALLY going to kill Tracy.

"I don't see what's wrong with it." Mikayla shrugged. "I mean, grown ups should be able to have sleep overs too."

"Sleep overs?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "When two grown ups get together, watch movies, eats snacks, and sleep in the same room. That's all it is … isn't it?"

It took dean all of two seconds to decide how he was going to answer that.

"Yes, that's exactly what it is."

Thank God for the simplicity of the five year old mind. The waitress had perfect timing and choose that moment to bring them their nachos. Dean dug right in, but Mikayla just used a chip to make squiggly lines in the cheese sauce.

"What's wrong?"

"Well … it hook ups are okay, why don't you want to have one?"

"Because this is Daddy time."

"But it happens a lot on Mommy time. Why is Daddy time different?"

He leaned down to look her in the eye and smiled.

"Because I don't need a hook up, I'm already with the prettiest girl here."

She beamed and scooted out of her seat. Once around the table, she gave him a big hug.

"And I'm with the bestest guy here, better then all the Joes in all the world."

Okay, so it was sappy and a total chick-flick moment. But he wouldn't have traded it for anything.

* * *

><p>So, what do you think of Mikayla's view of the world?<p>

Let me know and I will get to work on the next chapter. :)


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